Duncan
Forbes, Lord President of Scotland was the senior law officer of the Crown and
acted under the instructions of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord
Tweeddale. Forbes disliked Jacobitism but was a patriotic Scot and had made
strenuous efforts to produce reform in the Highlands and bring some prosperity
by the introduction of justice and industry. 'Honest, learned and kind, he was an excellent golfer, and the most
hospitable of hosts.' He believed that Scotland’s future lay in the
strengthening of the Union and traveled widely attempting to keep unsettled
clans loyal to the government. In this he had considerable success.

Fraser
of Lovat

Simon
Fraser, Lord Lovat although constantly playing both sides against the middle in
an attempt to come out on the winning side was undoubtedly influenced by Forbes
and did not 'come out' for the Prince (although he encouraged his son to do so!)

MacDonald of
Sleat

MacLeod of
MacLeod

Norman MacLeod, the Skye clan chief was also influenced to stay at home and he
in turn persuaded Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat to do the same.

In 1745 General Sir John Cope was
Commander-in-Chief, Scotland. His headquarters were in Edinburgh and under his
command was a total of about 3,000 men. Few of them were mounted and almost all
were badly trained or recently recruited. Edinburgh Castle garrison was
commanded by the eighty-five year old General Joshua Guest. When news
arrived that the Young Pretender had possibly landed and some Highlanders were
about to rally to his Standard, Cope tried to warn the government and suggested
certain preventative measures. He was ignored until it became quite clear that a
rebellion was about to begin but at last was ordered to proceed towards Fort
Augustus in an attempt to squash any trouble before it began. However, when Cope heard reports of
Highlander strength, and that the Prince intended to attack as Hanoverian troops
crossed the Corrieyairack pass, he changed his plans and marched to Inverness.

General
Cope was in command at the Battle of Prestonpans and the road down which he and his dragoons escaped is
known to this day as ‘Johnnie Cope’s Road’.

General
Wade was replaced by Lieutenant-General Henry Hawley
who was rumoured to be the illegitimate son of George I and had a reputation for
cruelty. Hawley was an arrogant man and had no great belief in the Jacobite
army's ability to fight describing them in words he would
soon regret, as 'arrant scum’ and 'the
most despicable enemy that are.'

Hawley commanded the government
forces at Falkirk which ended in victory for the Prince, with fewer than fifty
of his men killed and several hundred of Hawley's soldiers killed or wounded.
The General was relieved of command and overall
control of Hanoverian forces fell to His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cumberland.
Hawley was not pleased at having his command taken from him and took his revenge
on the Highlanders in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden later in the year.

It seems that the orders of General Hawley had a
large part to play in the atrocities committed both on the battlefield and for
months after Culloden. ‘Hangman’ Hawley, as he was
known, was of the opinion that if, 'the
parliament would give the men a guinea and a pair of shoes for every rebel’s
head they brought in I would still undertake to clear this country.' He also
bragged of seven thousand houses already burned and that there were still many
more to be destroyed.

The
Campbells were for the most part government supporters and fought against the
Jacobites in all the battles of the '45. Chief
of Clan Campbell was Archibald, 3rd Duke of Argyll. He was determined to do
everything he could to put down the rebellion. Argyll offered the government all
his considerable influence and all the man power he could raise and the Agyll
Militia were active throughout the campaign.

Campbell
of
Argyll

Since
1730
Argyll and Duncan Forbes had
been instrumental in the raising the Independent Companies known as The
Black Watch.

Black
Watch

When
news arrived that Price Charles had landed great efforts were made by the
Campbells and other supporters of the Hanoverians to raise as many men as
possible. Something like twenty companies were formed and welded into the
regiment bearing their commander's name, John Campbell 4th Earl of Louden.
In achieving this he had the support of other Highlanders notably MacLeod
of MacLeod and MacDonald of Sleat whose failure to support
he Prince was a serious blow to Jacobite chances of success.